This intensively researched urban study dissects Russian Imperial and early Soviet rule in Islamic Central Asia from the diverse viewpoints of tsarist functionaries, Soviet bureaucrats, Russian workers, and lower-class women as well as Muslim notables and Central Asian traders. Jeff Sahadeo's stimulating analysis reveals how political, social, cultural, and demographic shifts altered the nature of this colonial community from the tsarist conquest of 1865 to 1923, when Bolshevik authorities subjected the region to strict Soviet rule. In addition to placing the building of empire in Tashkent within a broader European context, Sahadeo's account makes an important contribution to understanding the cultural impact of empire on Russia's periphery.

Jeff Sahadeo is Associate Professor at the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University. He is the author of Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent, 1865-1923, and coeditor of Everyday Life in Central Asia.

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Sahadeo gives a vivid and reliable account of European—'Sart' interaction in colonial Tashkent . . . a groundbreaking study in this field. Vol. 29, No. 1, March 2010

Central Asian Survey

A welcome and important contribution to historical scholarship. . . . Sahadeo's book illuminates issues of identity and rule that remain relevant today.

Far Eastern Economic Review

This excellent book . . . provide[s] a vivid picture of a new, brash but insecure colonial capital existing alongside and often in conflict with an ancient Muslim culture.

Steppe

A powerful picture of the cultural impact of empire on Russia's periphery. . . . Highly recommended.

Choice

Russian Colonial Society in Tashkent is an excellent book, rich in detail and anecdote from archival sources, local newspapers, memoirs and other publications . . . Sahadeo's book is likely to be a standard work on the colonial period for many years to come. Vol. 88.4, October 2010

Slavonic and East European Review

Gives the reader an intriguing portrait of the city during some of its key historical moments.

Transitions Online

A very rich, very intelligent study.

Journal of Modern History

[T]his book deserves a broad readership, both of Russianists and of 'imperialists' specializing in various national histories. 10, 4 (Fall 2009)

Kritika